Cayuga Hospitality Consultants
Managing Significant Change Through Hotel Projects
Stewart Kiely | October 30, 2024
Ownership and influential stakeholders are entitled to make changes to hotel projects. It’s their dream and foresight that you are delivering. However, deciding to make a significant change in the direction of a project requires a careful, balanced approach to maintain stakeholder alignment and ensure project success. Here’s a quick synopsis of how to navigate such a scenario: 1. Stay calm, think clearly and stay professional Change is part of the project landscape. It’s important to remain calm, professional, and open-minded. As the project director, your attitude will set the tone for the team and stakeholders. 2. Understand...
Stools and Stereotypes: Why Accommodating Disabilities in Hotels Is Non-Negotiable
Chuck Simikian | October 23, 2024
An employee comes to you and says they need a stool to sit on while they do their job. You immediately think – “We don’t have stools for employees to sit on. That is a standing position.” But….is that the correct response? What should you do? It is a common scenario that I frequently see in my HR career supporting the hospitality industry. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in effect for nearly 35 years, yet many employers still struggle with accommodating disabilities in the workplace. A recent lawsuit filed by the EEOC against TNNY Hotel, LLC, and other entities operating The Ned NoMad hotel in Manhattan h...
Hotel Success Today – The GM Factor
Chuck Kelley | October 16, 2024
When you first walk into a hotel lobby do you get a sense of the hotel? A sense of positive or negative vibes. I have seen both lately and I firmly believe it starts with the Hotel General Manager – not rocket science. Of course, it starts with the sense that everything is fresh and clean. Then you notice the little things… The Guest Service Agent is headed to the back, sees an approaching guest and returns to engage the guest. Eye contact is always there with a genuine smile. Employees are always present where you expect them to be and not in the back talking story. Product quality is just there, everything from the condition o...
Ways Hotels Can Leverage Influencer Marketing for Brand Growth
Debbie Miller | October 9, 2024
In today’s competitive hospitality landscape, hotels increasingly turn to influencer marketing as a strategic tool to boost brand visibility and drive bookings. Why? Partnering with influencers allows hotels to tap into their engaged audiences, leverage authentic storytelling, and create compelling content that resonates with potential guests. Here are a few ideas for how hotels can effectively collaborate with influencers to strengthen their online presence and attract more guests. Understanding the Power of Influencer Marketing To start, let’s define “influencer marketing.” Simply put, influencer marketing...
Optimizing Menu Engineering for the Hospitality Industry
James Samson | October 3, 2024
Menu engineering is an essential practice in the hospitality industry, particularly for food and beverage operations. It involves the strategic design and analysis of menus to maximize profitability and customer satisfaction. By applying best practices and leveraging hard data, hospitality businesses can enhance their menus to drive revenue and improve guest experiences. Strategies for Effective Menu Engineering 1. Menu Item Categorization: Stars, Plow Horses, Puzzles, and Dogs The foundation of menu engineering lies in categorizing menu items based on their popularity and profitability: Stars: High popularity, high profitability. ...
The Hospitality Customer You Didn’t Train For
Jim Lopolito | September 16, 2024
By Jim Lopolito Fundamentals in Accident Training Shaping how well we execute service to our guests is a primary function of hotel and restaurant training. From the front of house to the back, and the first floor to the top floor, we support our teams on the path to guest experience and financial rewards. This is fundamental and we hope that nothing gets in the way of our dreams. There is, however, the likelihood your practices are overlooking a component of training that is allowing significant risk to your success. In simple terms, if you assume your employees are performing their responsibilities correctly in protecting guests ...
Road Trippin’ Is the Vibe as Travel Slows Across the U.S.
Mandy Murry | September 6, 2024
The news is bleeding with travel gloom and discouraging numbers for the hospitality market. Headlines tout softening and consumer spending coming to a halt while exploiting the idea that luxury travel is both thriving and diving. Bloomberg reported that even with deep-pocketed travelers, the word right now is “value.” Reality: Travel is slowing, but this has been happening, and the news cycle is catching up to reports and trends of 2024. Consumers have been living high in travel mode—living for the experience and not afraid to put the fun on credit for some time. Spending has caught up with many, and thus, household budgets are...
Hotel Renovations: When to Go Big
Jon Peck | September 6, 2024
Most owners and prospective buyers try to reduce their hotel’s Capex spend associated with PIP or Renovation work and with good reason- to keep their investment basis as low as possible. When and How to “Go Big” on your Hotel Renovation However, there are scenarios below where owners may want to go bigger. The hotel is in a strong demand environment and underperforming the competitive set, especially if the hotel has “good bones” and most of the work would be interior. Owner has broader economic interests. For example, the hotel is or could be part of a mixed-use project and the hotel upgrade would improve the positionin...
